Diffusion
by NiaUnoriginal
Summary: Shepard invited James to her apartment again for a surprise. (Re-imagining of Shega Romance from ME3 : Citadel with a little story from Paragon Lost, One-Shot but possible for continuation, T for Cussing.)


It's morning after breakfast and Vega came to Sheperd's apartment in a hurry. She stated to be here as soon as possible.

All James was thinking was what the emergency was and rang in at the door, waited for her to answer. Soon the skin headed Commander appeared in her favored N7 hoody on the com screen and answered. "James. Glad you could make it."

"You sounded troubled on the com. Came as soon as I could." James stated. The door to her apartment slide opened and James jogged in. He met Shepard inside, though she stood firm with her arm crossed, looking serious.

Now he's worried, "Hold up…" slowed his step and spoke. "So… is there really an emergency or is this about me turning you down that last time?" He asked.

"It is about you but not that." Shepard smirked a bit and answered. "Something just occurred to me and I thought you'd benefit from it." Then she jerked her head, gesturing the couch by the fireplace. "Take a seat." She said and walked to her study.

James shrugged and took her invitation. He took a seat, and laid back. Not a moment short Shepard came out with a big metal box in one hand and a tool box in another. She put down the metal box _:Thud:_ loudly on the coffee table and the tool box next to it.

James raised a brow curiously. "Erm… What's this?"

She didn't answer yet and send something to his omni-tool. James checked it and what he received is a blueprint of some sort. She straightened up and got right to business. "Study the blueprint and diffuse this bomb with the tools you're given in three minutes."

He shot up from the couch. "SAY WHAT?!"

"Call it an N7 explosive disarming crash course." Shepard pushed James back down to the couch. "Now get your head in the game, soldier. Timer starts…"

"W-w-wai-"

"Now!"

A timer holo displayed over the bomb and already counting down.

"Aw, shit!" He flick opened the tool box and scurried for tool in panic.

"I'll be observing… from afar." She said nonchalantly and makes her way to the kitchen.

He turned to Shepard with bulging stare. "Wait. This isn't the real thing is it?"

"Head in the game, Vega!" She ordered and leaned back on a counter with a coffee mug.

Rushed, and thought unscrewing would take to much time, Vega bludgeoned the box til it opened, to Shepard amusement, and found clumps and knots of wirings. "Hijo de puta…" He cursed at the bomb or his CO even he couldn't tell then checked the blueprints he got… "Here we go…"

A minute passed, Jane took her time sipping her coffee while watching James rushed to the point he tangled himself cutting the wires. The blueprint did help him made heads or tails out of it but a lot of the time as soon as he took his eyes from the bomb to check the omni-tool and back to the bomb he lost his wire he intended to disconnect.

Then he's down to last three wires with less than thirty seconds before the bomb detonate. He swore he'd never sweat this badly when he workout or in combat. His eyes darted in three different directions. The wires, the blueprint, and the holo ticking down to twenty.

_:Snip:_

Nothing exploded yet. Two wires left and timer still going. "Maldita sea…" The blueprint showed both wires are crucial but didn't tell which would deactivate the detonator. His eyes and his hand swings frantically between the last two wires.

[0:03]

[0:02]

[0:01]

_:Beep! Beep! Beep!:_

James froze, and shut his eye.

Then the box shot out horn, ribbons, and confetti.

He slowly opened up his eyes, dumbfounded and realized he's still in one piece. He slumped back down, hanged his head back, and sighed.

"LT. Vega reported KIA. Mission failed." Shepard chimed as she walked towards the couch and threw a bottle of ice cold water at the downed marine.

He groaned and placed the bottle over his forehead to cool off. "Alright, you got your revenge, Lola."

Jane snickered, sat next to him, reached out and closed the box. "That's not the whole reason. Remember when I had you disable an AA gun on Rannoch?"

He laughed. "Yeah, I stomped that shit till it submit."

Shepard exhaled disapprovingly. "You 'really' took your time while Tali and I covered your back. And after that display of technical ineptitude she insisted to handle the rest of them."

"So this is practice or something?"

"Diverse range of skills is required to make it as an N7. Your combat, technical, leadership skills will be put to the test and you'll be making decisions under constant pressure. You might sometimes need to handle something that's not aligned with your expertise."

"Hm." He uttered in agreement. "Good point and all but~… I'd say this is still revenge."

She raised a brow. "It was fun watching you losing you're grip but you think you're CO really that petty?" She asked lightheartedly.

He sat up, downed half the bottle then spoke. "I might've deserved it."

"Think so?"

"I didn't actually let you down easy… I'm just fine with it if you retaliate."

"Well with what's going on I guess I was just trying to blow off some steam... And with all this flirting I may have come off eager and put you on the spot."

"Yes, you did. Ma'am." James just bluntly agreed.

She laughed somewhat uncomfortably. "Alright, no hard feelings?"

"Never, Lola" He smiled then contemplated a moment quietly.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Well since you being straight up about it… Guess I owed you an explanation for turning you down... though I'm not sure myself what."

"Lingering issues? Feelings?"

That question caught him by surprise. "Dios. Me figuring out my feeling... loco."

"Time to face this soft stuff like a man, Jimmy. Whatever you got." She encourages comically.

He hoarsely chuckled, leaned forward then explained. "Um… Look, Lola. I won't say I'm not interested and definitely not the type to follow regs too seriously."

"That hasn't been obvious." She stated sarcastically.

"Ha... Well, I admire you as a soldier, a leader, a hero… and…"

Then they just sat quietly, exchanged glances. "And?"

He breathed out some air of frustration. "Ugh, I don't know. It's too good to be true." He scratched his head in confusion. "The Alliance's icon getting personal with some military grunt?"

"Potential N7 recruit is whole another league from regular grunts. Don't sell yourself short, James."

"... Maybe I'm still kinda hung up on Fehl Prime…" That seemed to hit a nail. He exhaled and looked away. "Huh, no matter what the brass say it doesn't go away. This feeling failure…"

Shuffled in her seat and place an elbow on the couch's head. "About choosing to save the intel over the colonist?"

"…There's one thing I haven't mention." He turned his head to Shepard. "There's a woman. An asari. A scientist stationed on the colony… We had something... When the decision of saving the colonist or the intel came… She was the one who possessed the intel and was plunging to her death but separated from other objective…"

Shepard anticipated where it's headed. "And you chose her over the many…"

James steadied, holding in the welling up emotion in silent.

"What happened to her?"

"She… and I blamed ourselves the colonists died. Regretted for a time but before we separated we swore we won't let ourselves stuck under that and try our best to live." He scoffed. "Now look at it me…"

"It's just one of those moments, James. Trust me, I know how it's like… to be alive while others you cared aren't anymore." She sympathizes.

His eyes slightly red from holding in the emotion and looked at her. "I heard. A child slave turned military then lost a whole squad on bad drop on Akuze… How the hell do you manage it?"

"Beating yourself up over the past doesn't make the mistakes you made go away but it's better than the alternative. Just try harder, fight harder to keep the loved one you have now alive… I speak from experience."

He nodded in understanding then wiped his eyes dry. "I was right to take examples from you…"

"So have you ever contacted your 'friend' after that?"

"No. And neither did she. I doubt she'd still feel the same. Too much bad memory. I sure couldn't even if I try."

She nodded. "I was anticipated that you're not available… Now I think I understand that you're afraid to fraternize because you think it would mess your priority."

He sighed. "There's that but… no, I'm not against it or anything. I'm not shutting it out if there's the right person out there... or right here." James straightened up. "So get back to you and me… As I said, you're larger than life... I admire you, I want to fight and be beside you through thick and thin but..." Then groaned out in agony. "Argh… Actually messing around with your hero is beyond real and over my head!"

Shepard laughed to his honest expression until she's short for breath. James smiled to her nervously and waited for her to finish.

"So there. All laid bare for you. Damn you, Lola." He said snidely.

"Hah… James… What you must have endured during our tour." Then she smiled and spoke. "Now that we understood we both kinda crazy for each other what's next, Mr. Vega?"

James slightly confused how this morning just transpired. He smirked and shrugged. "It's a little early in the day to test how hard this apartment's bed, no?"

"How about a few rounds in the arena to clear our head then we'll pick this up after that?" Shepard suggested.

"I'm down with that. So we compete or stick together?"

"What do you wanna do?"

James scooted in closer and gazed into her eyes. "There comes a time the student must come out of the master's shadow."

Shepard smiles, gazed back and took his challenge. "You're on grasshopper."

They stood up then James looked at the fake bomb on the coffee table. "So where did you get this thing?"

"EDI was extranet shopping for gifts for the crew and I requested it." She answered.

Then James gave her puppy eyes. "You mind if I take it and screw around with it a little more? Y'know, practice."

"I got that specifically just for you so go ahead."

The puppy eyes turned to incredulous stare. "You and EDI got me a detonator diffusion training kit for a gift? Kinda makes me worried for the suckers who'd date you two." He quipped knowingly.

"You can spook Cortez with it." She argued.

"Hey... Niiice~." He bit her suggestion.


End file.
